After Lu Qingshan chose his position, Mitchell received the news.
There had been no word from Mo Li these past few days, so he had more or less guessed that Lu Qingshan would decline the invitation.
He bore no resentment over it.
Taking an interest in Lu Qingshan's potential during the assessment had merely been a spur-of-the-moment decision. If the other party had no such intention, he would not insist.
Yet when he saw the position Lu Qingshan had chosen, a trace of bewildered surprise flashed through his eyes.
"Ganwu Dojo headquarters... first-class instructor?"
Mitchell muttered, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the desk. "Someone who earned the title of Giant Axe Warrior actually chose to become an instructor?"
In his deeply ingrained view, the role of a professional instructor was usually synonymous with warriors who sought comfortable lives, or whose potential had run dry and whose time was drawing to an end.
That and a "Giant Axe Warrior" were like heading south while driving north.
"It seems this young man has no drive to advance. His future achievements will probably stop at Domain Lord." Mitchell's opinion of Lu Qingshan instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
He had originally thought Lu Qingshan had the potential to strive for World Lord and might become a future aide to him. Now, it seemed he had misjudged him.
"There is no need to keep monitoring this person." Mitchell sent a brief reply, then struck Lu Qingshan's name from his watchlist for good.
Qiu Long Star, Lu Qingshan's residence.
After leaving the Virtual Universe, Lu Qingshan immediately told his father-in-law, Kevin, about his choice.
"Ganwu Dojo headquarters?" At this, Kevin's eyes blazed with delighted surprise. "That's a place presided over by an Immortal God! I don't even know whether I'll ever get the chance to see it with my own eyes in this lifetime."
Lu Qingshan lifted his wineglass and took a long gulp, then said with a smile, "Father, with your strength as a veteran Domain Lord, where in the Ganwu Universe Country couldn't you go, as long as you avoid those deadly forbidden regions?"
Kevin shook his head with a bitter smile. "How could I be as free as you make it sound? If I leave, what happens to everything I've built on Qiu Long Star? That boy Kerry and I depend on this little bit of income to support our cultivation."
A trace of helplessness colored his voice, and he kept mentioning his younger son, Kerry.
"Alas, that boy Kerry just won't make something of himself. If he were willing to settle down on Qiu Long Star, then even if I left for a while, it wouldn't come to..."
Lu Qingshan understood. His father-in-law missed his son. He silently counted the years; Kerry had probably been away from Qiu Long Star for five thousand years by now.
"That little brat's wings have grown strong, and now he won't even listen to his own father!" Kevin could not help cursing. "Sometimes when I message him through the Virtual Universe, he doesn't even reply."
Sensing the deep resentment in his father-in-law's words, Lu Qingshan burst out laughing. "Don't worry, Father! Isn't Kerry in the Ganwu Universe Country? I happen to be heading there. If I run into him, I'll be sure to drag that boy back for you!"
After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Qingshan bid his father-in-law farewell and returned to his own manor.
Just as he reached the castle entrance, he saw his disciple Lei Ming waiting there excitedly, lightning flickering above his head.
"Teacher!" Upon seeing Lu Qingshan, Lei Ming immediately came forward, unable to hide the joy on his face.
He had spent the past year gaining experience alone on Qiu Long Star, and this was the first time his teacher had contacted him of his own accord.
He was still young and pure-hearted, and he both revered and depended on the teacher he had followed for three years.
"Come inside first." Lu Qingshan pushed open the castle's heavy doors.
Lei Ming followed like a curious child, cautiously studying the lavish, ancient furnishings inside the castle.
"Teacher, is this a property you bought on Qiu Long Star? It's magnificent!" Lei Ming was no longer the clueless youth who had first arrived on Qiu Long Star a year ago. He knew full well that the castle before him was probably worth as much as an ordinary inhabited planet.
"No," Lu Qingshan said gently. "This was always the home your teacher's wife and I shared."
Lei Ming's face instantly flushed red. He lowered his head, filled with apology. "Teacher, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have spoken carelessly."
He knew that his teacher's wife had passed away tens of thousands of years ago. This was no secret in the Maple Leaf Empire.
"It's all right." Lu Qingshan waved a hand and changed the subject. "Tell me, what have you gained from this year of experience?"
Lu Qingshan also wanted to see how this disciple, whom he had left to his own devices for a year, had changed.
"Teacher..." Lei Ming seemed to recall something, and his voice sank, filled with indignation and helplessness. "I... I saw the cruelty of the universe. I went to Qiu Long Star's slave market... that place was sheer hell! Living members of our own race were picked over and bought and sold like merchandise! Even... even Star Level Nine experts couldn't escape the fate of becoming slaves!"
He grew somewhat agitated. "I met someone named Beta. Slave traders conquered his home planet, and he was the only one who escaped. His entire people became slaves. What did they do wrong? Was it simply because they hadn't yet had time to come into contact with interstellar civilization?"
"And there was someone named Meng Na. Her home suffered even worse! A few demons occupied it. The humans on that planet were all beautiful, and those demons wouldn't even spare ordinary people at the Apprentice Level. They were captured and sold at the slave market, while everyone left, men and women alike... all became tools for breeding..."
"Weakness is the original sin." Lu Qingshan let out a long sigh, his gaze deepening.
He gazed into the distance toward the slave market, as though seeing a shadow of his former self.
Had he not been a little luckier back then, how could he have the freedom he enjoyed today?
An icy chill gathered in Lu Qingshan's eyes as he silently made his decision.
If I can one day break through to the Universe Master realm, I must sweep this utterly evil institution of slavery into the dustbin of history. Those parasites who tolerate and even orchestrate all this must pay a terrible price as well!
Of course, that lay in an incomparably distant future.
"Weakness... is the original sin?" Lei Ming mulled over his teacher's words, his gaze gradually becoming utterly resolute. Clenching his teeth, he declared fiercely, "Teacher! I must become strong! Incomparably strong!"
"Good!" Lu Qingshan patted his shoulder approvingly. "Apart from what you've seen and heard, have you gained anything else?"
"Yes!" Lei Ming drew a deep breath, steadying his emotions. "I discovered a place in the Virtual Universe called the Killing Field. It's incredibly useful. I spent most of this year cultivating there, and I feel that my combat experience and ability to exert my body's strength have improved quite a bit!"
Then he added somewhat sheepishly, "It's just too expensive. Without the Black Dragon Coins you gave me, Teacher, I couldn't possibly afford it."
"The Killing Field is indeed a good place to hone your skills, but staying too long serves little purpose." Lu Qingshan shook his head, unconcerned that his disciple had taken a slight detour. "Have you noticed anything wrong? Normally, after so many life-and-death battles, you should long since have made a breakthrough in your domain..."
"This disciple is slow-witted." Lei Ming looked ashamed. His main purpose in fighting so frantically in the Killing Field had been to comprehend a domain, yet he had never succeeded.
"A true domain is born from the great terror between life and death. No matter how realistic the Killing Field's simulations are, they ultimately lack that real pressure of burning your boats."
With a faint smile, Lu Qingshan pointed out the crux of the matter.
"Its true purpose is to perfect your system of techniques. Hoping to comprehend a domain or even laws solely through battles there? That's an extravagant hope."
He stood up and looked at Lei Ming, his tone turning solemn:
"For the next few days, you need not cultivate. Rest well and let what you've gained this year settle. Seven days from now, we will leave Qiu Long Star..."
A sharp gleam flashed through Lu Qingshan's eyes.
"When the time comes, I will show you the proper way to cultivate on the path to becoming strong."
He had stayed on Qiu Long Star for over a year. Now that the road ahead was decided, it was time to set out.
(End of chapter)